coronavirus Archives - American Atheists

Today’s Supreme Court Decision Gives COVID-19 Deniers Ammo to Defy Public Health Orders

American Atheists — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 18:42:30 +0000

Washington, D.C.—December 10, 2020—Today, the civil rights organization American Atheists warned about the grave consequences of the Supreme Court’s 8-0 decision in Tanzin v. Tanvir. COVID-19 deniers will now be able to use this ruling to defy public health measures that combat the pandemic. In today’s decision, the Supreme Court granted religious individuals who were prevented from flying the right to sue federal officials personally for monetary damages using the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Under the Biden Administration, one measure the TSA may implement to combat the COVID-19 pandemic is a vaccine certification requirement to fly. However, because of this decision, anti-vaxxers and those who believe the pandemic is a hoax could claim their religious beliefs exempt them from the requirement and sue federal officials personally for monetary damages when they’re turned away at the airport. “Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a gift to anyone willing to use religion to defy federal law, including COVID-19 deniers and anti-vaxxers,” said Geoffrey Blackwell, Litigation Counsel at American Atheists, who co-authored an amicus brief in the case. “Common-sense public health measures that would otherwise save hundreds of thousands of lives must now give way to religious beliefs, even if they’re demonstrably false. Anyone can claim a religious exemption to ignore future Biden Administration actions to control the virus—and then turn around and sue officials personally for damages if refused.” “The Court’s decision in this case is ripe for abuse. When public officials are personally liable, they have to worry about losing their home and their life savings,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists. “Ultimately, they may have to decide between their livelihoods and protecting the public from COVID-19. That’s a choice no official should have to make.” “COVID-19 denying businesses could even claim to be religious just to ignore public health orders. After all, the Supreme Court cannot rule on the legitimacy of anyone’s deeply held beliefs. This is what religious exemptions in this country have become—an excuse to jeopardize others’ lives based on selfishness, ignorance, and lies,” she added. “While there’s no question this case involved serious wrongdoing by government officials, this was the wrong remedy, and this decision will have disastrous outcomes,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “Today’s ruling will have repercussions on all areas of federal law for years to come.”

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Major Provider of Virtual Learning Services to Public Schools Removes Unconstitutional Religious Content

American Atheists — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 12:54:36 +0000

Washington, D.C.—September 30, 2020—Today, the church/state separation watchdog American Atheists announced that the nationwide online content provider, Edgenuity, has removed unconstitutional religious materials from public school online classes offered during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an email exchange with American Atheists earlier this month, Edgenuity recognized that this material was inappropriate and indicated it would look into correcting the problem with a subcontractor. Since then, American Atheists has received word from its members in Ohio, Michigan, New Mexico, and Kansas that the unconstitutional content has been removed. “Edgenuity recognized the issue and acted swiftly and decisively in removing the unconstitutional religious content from its online curriculum,” said Geoffrey Blackwell, Litigation Counsel at American Atheists. “We are pleased with the outcome.” Edgenuity is one of the largest providers of virtual instruction in the United States. In 2019, even before COVID-19, Edgenuity claimed more than 4 million students and indicated that “its products and services are currently used in each of the top 10 largest school districts–as well as 21 of the 25 largest school districts–within the U.S.” “Edgenuity is living up to its image as a major online curriculum provider, and children of all faiths and none are seeing their religious freedom respected. This is a win-win situation for everyone,” added Blackwell. Materials obtained by American Atheists showed that a module of Third Grade Social Studies was teaching Bible stories, including Joseph of the Many-Colored Coat and the Tower of Babel, as social studies at public schools. “We and our members appreciate Edgenuity’s recognition that public school content should remain religiously neutral. That’s something every parent—whether atheist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or any other religion—can agree on,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “Edgenuity did the right thing in protecting all students’ constitutional rights.” “While Edgenuity has removed these unconstitutional religious materials, there may be other service providers that continue to offer them,” warned Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists. This month, the church/state watchdog sent advisory letters to state education chiefs in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, warning them that some virtual learning service providers had included this type of unconstitutional religious content in their curriculum. “Parents should not have to be the ones monitoring their children’s curriculum for unconstitutional materials,” added Gill. “It shouldn’t be there in the first place. We urge public schools to act as the first line of defense and carefully monitor the curriculum offered through these services to ensure compliance with the Constitution. Our children deserve nothing less.”

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American Atheists Warns Albuquerque Area School District about Religious Propaganda in Online Classes

American Atheists — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 20:55:11 +0000

Moriarty, NM—September 24, 2020—Today, the church/state watchdog American Atheists sent the Moriarty-Edgewood School District (MESD) an advisory letter, warning that its online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic include unconstitutional religious content. “The materials documented by our complainants explicitly promote elements of Christian theology and have no place in a public school curriculum. By advancing a particular religious viewpoint, MESD is violating the Establishment and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, article II, section 11 of the Constitution of the State of New Mexico, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” warns American Atheists’ letter. “The Moriarty-Edgewood School District must protect everyone’s religious freedom—not subject children to unwanted religious indoctrination,” said Geoffrey Blackwell, Litigation Counsel for American Atheists, who submitted the letter to MESD. Materials provided by members of the MESD community show that, for at least some classes and grade levels, the virtual instruction offered by education provider, Edgenuity, contains explicitly religious content. An entire module of Third Grade Social Studies teaches Bible stories, including Joseph of the Many-Colored Coat and the Tower of Babel, as social studies. One lesson even instructs students to make plant, animal, and human “forms” out of clay and “think about how you feel when you create, and then destroy, each of your forms. How does it feel to bring form out of nothing? How does it feel to create something out of a lump?” In an email to American Atheists, Edgenuity recognized that this material is not appropriate and indicated it is looking into how to correct the problem with a subcontractor. In the meantime, these class materials are still being provided to public school children. “If MESD does not immediately take steps to end this ongoing constitutional violation and remedy the harms it’s inflicted on families, we will take all legal actions necessary. Nothing is off the table,” said Blackwell. Since launching an investigation in early September, American Atheists has responded to similar complaints in Cincinnati and the Detroit suburbs. The church/state separation watchdog also successfully helped resolve a situation in Kansas, where the school district informed students that they did not need to complete the “ancient Hebrew culture” module of the social studies class.

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American Atheists Warns States Across the Country about Religious Propaganda in Online Public School Classes

American Atheists — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 18:35:47 +0000

Washington, D.C.—September 22, 2020 —The church/state separation watchdog American Atheists has sent advisory letters to education chiefs in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, warning that public schools’ online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic may include unconstitutional religious materials. Since launching an investigation in early September, American Atheists has received multiple complaints from families in Ohio, Michigan, New Mexico, and Kansas. Many parents have cited a third grade Social Studies class offered by Edgenuity, an online education provider. The course in question, among other things, teaches Bible stories, including Joseph of the Many-Colored Coat and the Tower of Babel, as social studies. “I was stunned to see theology being taught to my child in the guise of social studies,” said Ryan Thibodeau, American Atheists’ Assistant State Director for Detroit, Michigan, whose 8-year old daughter must take this 3rd grade class. “I’ve received messages from concerned parents in my district who are seeing the obvious religious bias in other sections of the curriculum. This is a clear violation of church/state separation and must not be allowed to continue in public schools.” In an email to American Atheists, Edgenuity recognized that this material is not appropriate and indicated it is looking into how to correct the problem with a subcontractor. In the meantime, these class materials are still being provided to public school children. American Atheists views this as a warning flag that similar content may have made its way into materials provided by other virtual learning service providers. With the rise in virtual learning due to COVID-19, American Atheists warns that millions of students could be subjected to religious propaganda. For example, in 2019, even before the coronavirus pandemic, Edgenuity claimed more than 4 million students and boasted about “its products and services [being] used in each of the top 10 largest school districts–as well as 21 of the 25 largest school districts–within the U.S.” “This religious propaganda aimed at 3rd graders is likely just the tip of the iceberg,” said Geoffrey Blackwell, Litigation Counsel at American Atheists. “That’s why we need officials to remain vigilant and prevent religious indoctrination creeping into public school classes. This type of religious coercion may result in liability for school districts.” American Atheists advises school districts to carefully review virtual learning curricula and materials for compliance with constitutional requirements, as well as state learning standards. In addition, the church/state watchdog signaled the importance of educators knowing that modules, units, and individual lessons provided by outside companies should not be taken out of their intended context. American Atheists has received complaints where materials that could be permissible in advanced high school English classes were instead stripped of their necessary context and taught to significantly younger students in a devotional manner. Finally, American Atheists has asked the state-level superintendents to communicate to school districts that students should not be penalized or in any way disadvantaged for refusing to participate in any assignments that promote religion generally or any particular religious beliefs. “No student should be pressured into accepting religious indoctrination from the government. That’s something all parents—be they Christian, nonreligious, or a religious minority—can agree […]

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Ohio Lawmakers Sneak Through Dangerous Ban on Closing Churches, Jeopardizing Public Health

American Atheists — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 17:40:59 +0000

Columbus, OH—Today, the religious equality organization American Atheists denounced Ohio’s ban on closing churches during this or any future pandemic. The bill, HB 272, was signed into law yesterday by Governor DeWine. More specifically, the law stipulates that “no public official shall issue an order to close all places of worship in the state or in a geographic area of the state.” “This law will needlessly put the lives and safety of Ohio’s citizens at risk. The government must be allowed to follow public health guidelines during an emergency rather than bowing to unwise mandates from powerful religious interests,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists. “Moreover, it is unfair for Ohio to show churches preferential treatment that excludes all other organizations and businesses.” HB 272 was originally intended to expand the basis of a court’s exercise of personal jurisdiction, but the Senate attached a rider with this unrelated language about preventing houses of worship from being closed to protect public health. “Rather than going through the normal legislative process and allowing the people of Ohio to weigh in, lawmakers rushed through this amendment without a single hearing. This is yet another instance of sneaky anti-democratic Christian nationalist legislation in Ohio,” added Gill. “This dangerous law puts Ohioans’ health at risk,” said Nick Fish, president of American Atheists. “We know for a fact that churches can become COVID hotspots and sources of superspreader events. This law ties the hands of local elected officials and public health agencies and forces them to sacrifice lives on the altar of a twisted appeal to religious privilege. “Infectious diseases don’t care if you’re eating at a restaurant, attending a concert, or sitting in a church. This law will cost lives the next time we’re facing a deadly pandemic,” added Fish.

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American Atheists Launches Investigation into Religious Propaganda in Online Public School Courses During COVID-19

American Atheists — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 20:05:29 +0000

Update: Edgenuity reached out to American Atheists on 9/9/2020, explaining that the undermentioned Grade 8 U.S. History class at Cincinnati Digital Academy contained content from Edgenuity’s Grade 11 American Literature class. American Atheists is continuing to investigate how religious content intended to be studied by 11th graders for the work’s literary and rhetorical dimensions made its way into a middle school U.S. History class. Cincinnati, OH—Today, the church/state separation watchdog American Atheists announced that it is launching an investigation into religious propaganda within online learning programs, which millions of students around the country are required to take part in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. American Atheists is specifically investigating Cincinnati Public Schools’ online learning courses taught by Edgenuity. This private company describes itself as part of Alpha Omega Publications, “a leading provider of PreK-12 Christian Curriculum, educational resources, and services to Christian schools and homeschool families worldwide.” In 2019, even before COVID-19, Edgenuity claimed more than 4 million students and boasted about “its products and services [being] used in each of the top 10 largest school districts–as well as 21 of the 25 largest school districts–within the U.S.” Now, with even more public school districts adopting virtual programs, American Atheists has serious concerns that millions of students are being subjected to religious indoctrination by Edgenuity and, potentially, other providers. “Public schools must protect everyone’s religious freedom—not force atheist parents and families from minority religions to subject their children to Christian indoctrination,” said Geoffrey Blackwell, Litigation Counsel for American Atheists, who submitted records requests to Cincinnati Public Schools on behalf of local parents. “The school district must see to it that all materials presented to students meet constitutional standards by being free of sectarian content. Schools that partner with companies to provide educational services need to be sure those programs meet the Constitution’s requirements.” Materials obtained by American Atheists show that in multiple courses at multiple grade levels, the curriculum provided by Edgenuity contains explicitly religious content that cannot be justified by Ohio’s Social Studies Learning Standards. An entire module of third grade Social Studies on “ancient Hebrew culture” is devoted to Bible stories, including Joseph of the Many-Colored Coat and the Tower of Babel. Students must recount the story, transcribe a summary, draw a pictorial representation of the tower, and explain Yahweh’s motivations. In an eighth grade U.S. History class, an Edgenuity instructor teaches Christian theology under the guise of the Great Awakening, uncritically reading sermons that promise eternal suffering for sinners; underlining important phrases like “full of the fire of wrath,” “You hang by a slender thread,” “divine wrath,” and “singe it, and burn it;” and discussing the afterlife and “what God has in store for them if they do not repent of their sins.” “For many parents, threats of hellfire and eternal damnation amount to nothing short of child abuse,” said Blackwell. “Whether taught by public school teachers or private instructors contracted by school districts, religious propaganda targeting students of any age, but particularly impressionable elementary and middle school students, has no place in the public school system.” American Atheists’ U.S. Secular Survey, the largest study of nonreligious […]

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Small Business Administration Must Fix New Rules to Prevent Unconstitutional Church Bailouts

American Atheists — Thu, 14 May 2020 19:11:12 +0000

Washington, D.C.—Today, the religious equality watchdog organization American Atheists submitted comments to the Small Business Administration, opposing the agency’s interim final rules for the Paycheck Protection Program because they roll back long-standing constitutional protections for the separation of religion and government. “Religious liberty is built on the idea that government entanglement with religion can be a profound threat to individual rights, too often leading to religious oppression,” wrote Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy at American Atheists, in the comments. “A core principle of religious liberty is that the coercive taxing power of the government cannot be used to force citizens to support a religion that is not their own.” In April, Congress passed the CARES Act, creating an initial pot of $350 billion in forgivable loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The Small Business Administration suddenly “declined to enforce” long-standing regulations that prevented direct funding of religious activity, opening up these forgivable loans — essentially free government money — to houses of worship. “In the CARES Act, Congress recognized the importance of church/state separation protections by, for example, ensuring that higher education recipients could not spend funding on ‘sectarian instruction, or religious worship,’” explained Gill. “Congress did not stipulate in the CARES Act that PPP forgivable loans could not be extended to houses of worship because, until this point, SBA already had in place sufficient church/state separation protections.” In its comments, American Atheists urged SBA to issue a new interim final rule providing that loans forgiveness under PPP is not available for any funds used for inherently religious activities. Funds ineligible for loan forgiveness should include 1) the salary of any clergy or other staff engaged in inherent religious activity 2) any amount spent on rent or mortgage interest payment for facilities related to sectarian instruction or religious worship, and 3) any utilities costs for facilities related to sectarian instruction or religious worship, said the religious equality watchdog group. “SBA now has an opportunity to correct the constitutional deficiencies and misstatements of law in their original guidance and issue new rules for this important program,” said Gill. “Even during a pandemic, SBA cannot be allowed to violate the critical protections for religious freedom in the U.S. Constitution.” Read the full comments below.

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Trump Administration to Redirect WHO Funding to Evangelist Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse, Putting Lives at Risk

American Atheists — Tue, 21 Apr 2020 20:30:42 +0000

Washington, D.C.—Today, the church/state separation watchdog organization American Atheists denounced the Trump Administration’s alleged plan to steer nearly $400 million in World Health Organization (WHO) contributions to private organizations, including Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse. According to multiple reports, Samaritan’s Purse has exploited emergencies in El Salvador, majority Muslim countries, and developing nations to seek Christian converts in exchange for aid—and has received federal funding to do so. In the latest controversy, the organization has come under fire for benefiting from the coronavirus pandemic to advance its culture wars agenda in New York City and beyond. “WHO conducts coronavirus vaccine trials, distributes test kits, and advises countless governments. A divisive Christian organization whose leader claims this pandemic is due to ‘man turn[ing] his back on God’ cannot be trusted to replace WHO’s critical mission,” said Alison Gill, Vice President for Legal and Policy, who wrote a scathing indictment of Samaritan’s Purse, warning about discrimination against vulnerable groups, such as women, LGBTQ Americans, religious minorities, and nonreligious people. According to the New York Post, Trump officials have “grumble[d]” about WHO’s “liberal policy priorities,” notably its work on climate change and medically safe abortions. During a press conference, Trump said the U.S. has had problems with WHO “for years” and the nation should have withheld funds “a long time ago.” “Let’s be clear about Trump’s motives,” said Nick Fish, President of American Atheists. “To improve his reelection chances, he’s scapegoating WHO and is rewarding his most ardent evangelical supporters, like Franklin Graham, for literally demonizing opponents. This is a dangerous quid-pro-quo involving hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding and, more importantly, thousands of American lives.” “If Samaritan’s Purse is put even partially in charge of our country’s coronavirus response efforts, countless Americans will die,” added Fish. “Time and time again, Samaritan’s Purse has prioritized religious dogma and discrimination over medical science—and over life itself. We can’t allow them to get their hands on hundreds of millions of dollars in WHO funding to expand their dangerous influence.” Image by Matt Johnson under CC by 2.0

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Tell the Small Business Administration to Stop Taxpayer Funding for Religious Worship!

American Atheists — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 14:21:43 +0000

The CARES Act, passed by Congress to provide economic stability during the coronavirus pandemic, created a stream of funding for businesses and nonprofits called the Paycheck Protection Program. Unfortunately, however, they did not include important protections for the separation of religion and government. Now, the Small Business Administration (SBA), which oversees the program, has said that churches are allowed to receive this funding and use it to pay for inherently religious activity, such as clergy salary. This is our opportunity to tell SBA that they are wrong — American taxpayers must not be forced to subsidize religion! Please take action now! Write to SBA to ask them to put in place basic protections to protect the constitutional separation of religion and government. Every dollar that the government provides to a church is one less that is available to businesses or individuals in need. Even worse, SBA has given churches special exemptions to make them eligible even if they are part of a large, wealthy denomination. Churches and other places of worship are already exempt from the registration and tax filing requirements that apply to other nonprofits. The government should not be giving them money for unconstitutional purposes, particularly when there is no accountability or oversight. Please stand up for the separation of religion and government! We only have until May 15th to make our voices heard by submitting as many comments to SBA as possible!

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Oppose Religious Exemptions that Help Spread COVID-19

American Atheists — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 19:14:44 +0000

During this crisis, many state governors have wisely issued executive orders or guidelines that limit the size of gatherings, encourage social distancing, and limit nonessential activities to protect public health and prevent the spread of potentially deadly coronavirus. Unfortunately, numerous states have included religious exemptions for places of worship, allowing them to meet and put the public health at risk. Please ask your governor to either refrain from creating religious exemptions or rescind them today! No one should have the right to risk others’ lives because of their religious beliefs. In Washington, DC, California, and New York, hundreds of people were exposed to coronavirus through religious gatherings. Additional outbreaks in Kansas, Arkansas, and North Carolina have shown that churches also put rural communities at risk during this epidemic. Ask your governor to ensure the same does not happen in your state! There is no constitutional obligation to exempt religious groups from public health and safety regulations, particularly when lives are on the line. Our government has a compelling interest in protecting public health, and it can limit in-person gatherings, even for churches. Please write to your governor today and ask them to ensure that special privileges for churches do not put at risk the health and safety of all residents.

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